Your Guide to Knights and the Age of Chivalry

Your Guide to Knights and the Age of Chivalry — page 1
Before We Start Did you know The many wars of the Middle Ages were mainly fought by knights on horseback Knights tried to live by the ideals of chivalry rules of behavior based on fairness courage and honor TIMES OF CHANGE The first knights appeared in Europe in the 700s Knights dominated battlefields from the until 1100s the 1300s By the 1400s the age of the knight was ending Defining the Middle Ages The Middle Ages is the name given to a period that lasted about 1 000 years beginning around the end of the Roman Empire in 476 The early Middle Ages lasted until about 1000 The later Middle Ages which lasted until about 1500 was a time of great migration and nation building Kings built larger kingdoms by taking land from their neighbors forcing defeated peoples to find new land of their own Knights took a leading role in the kings wars of conquest THE SHAPE OF EUROPE Competing empires In medieval times Christians ruled much of Europe The Pope led the Roman Catholic Church He supported the Holy Roman Empire which dominated central and western Europe The Byzantine Empire of present day Turkey and Greece followed Eastern Orthodox Christianity Meanwhile Islamic empires rose in North Africa the Middle East and Spain Christians and Muslims fought over their religions right but also over land and power DESTINATION MIDDLE AGES